Do female motorcyclists represent one of the fastest
growing population segments in the sport? Some
industry trade groups think so, but some retailers claim
that women don't seem to respond to the same type of
marketing and sales efforts that work for males.

Our hypothesis is that
some of the problem may be due to the unique issues
involved in designing and fitting motorcycle clothing
for women. Until recently, women were considered
second-class citizens, and had to make do with "Unisex"
sized leftovers that were cobbled together after the
men's clothing lines were developed.

Manufacturers obviously
see the potential, and they aren't giving up on this
market. We're starting to see women's
motorcycle clothing that has been designed,
styled and fitted for just for women and available in women-specific sizes.

FirstGear has created an entire line of women's
motorcycle clothing that includes specialty items like
this warm weather riding outfit. FirstGear has
been a recognized name in motorcycle apparel for some
time, and we applaud them for their focus on the growing
demand for women's motorcycle clothing. We
turned this review over to Lori, our
Women's
Motorcycle Clothing page editor, for her
comments regarding the FirstGear Women's Hypertex Meshtex jacket
and the FirstGear mesh women's pants, which are designed
for warm to hot weather riding:

I was envious of my
husband's FirstGear Hypertex Meshtex mesh jacket and
pants ensemble, which has become his favorite outfit for
summer riding. It has only been a couple of years
since the the motorcycle clothing manufacturers
discovered mesh fabrics and started using them for
riding clothes that are suitable for wearing in the
hottest weather.

Prior to that, women (and men!) were
limited to a selection of either lighter
weight leather or textile jackets and pants, which
typically have very poor ventilation. About the
only alternative for riding in the hottest weather is
T-shirts and jeans, which in my opinion is an
unacceptable solution. Riding in hot weather can
be very uncomfortable when you're wearing leathers. Until the advent of mesh warm weather
motorcycle clothing, I was actually more comfortable
riding in the middle of winter than in the summer!

webBikeWorld reviewed the
first-generation
FirstGear Hypertex Meshtex jacket and
pants last year. I browsed through that
article
just to refresh my memory and to compare to FirstGear's
latest offering in their "Version II" jacket and pants
for 2004.

I'll say right off that I
definitely agree with last year's review that this
jacket and pants combo is about as comfortable as I
think you can expect to find in motorcycle clothing.
The mesh in the jacket has a silky feel and it's a
tighter weave than on some competitor's products.
The jacket and pants are designed to fit tighter than
jeans, but they feel good and are comfortable to wear
both on and off the bike.

Motorcycle clothing is
designed to
fit somewhat tighter than street clothes. This
helps to keep the armor
or padding in
place during a fall so that it can do its job, and to
prevent bunching in the unfortunate event of a slide. If
the clothing is too loose, it also tends to flap around in
the breeze during the ride, which can cause buffeting
that can be tiring and annoying.

If the sleeves
are too loose, the buffeting can actually transmit arm movements
through the handlebars into the steering as an unwanted
input. But if the clothing is too tight, it can
make it more difficult to move freely or lean forward,
especially when riding a sport bike. I'd say that the FirstGear mesh jacket is a nice, happy medium; snug
enough to be correct but has enough flexibility to move
with your body in any position.

The
FirstGear Hypertex Meshtex jacket is available in
women's sizes Small to XXL. FirstGear uses
alphabetical (or "Alpha") sizing for their women's
jackets, which seem to be specifically tailored for a woman's shape
(see the FirstGear women's size chart below).

I'm
5'8" and weigh about 135 pounds, and I normally take a
size 12 jacket, so I ordered a size large jacket, which
in FirstGear sizing translates to a
size 12-14. The
jacket fits me very well, and it's just a little bit
loose, so based on this experience,
I'd say that the FirstGear mesh jackets run very true to
their claimed size.

FirstGear labels this
jacket as
their "Hypertex Meshtex II", and I take it that
the "II"
means it's updated from last years' designs. But
when I compared it to last year's men's version, I
couldn't really find much of a difference.
FirstGear continues to provide the two "hook and loop" tabs on the arms, which
can be used to snug up the sleeves to help make sure
that the elbow armor stays properly located.

This
also helps to keep the arms from flapping around in the
breeze. The adjustment tabs are long enough to
accommodate a wide variety of arm thicknesses; I
had to snug mine up about half-way to be effective.
I have seen some jackets with these "snug tabs" that
don't provide enough length to work properly for thicker
arms, but the FirstGear jacket doesn't have that problem
for me.

The jacket also has an
adjustable waist that uses two 40mm (about 1-1/2", all
inch sizes approximate) wide tabs on each side that also
have "hook and loop" closures. There's a 25cm
(10") zipper in the inside back of the jacket that
allows it to be attached to the pants. I
highly recommend using this attachment whenever you're
riding, to help make sure that the pants and jacket
don't separate if you fall off and go sliding down the
pavement.

FirstGear
Women's Clothing Size Chart

Size

2-4

4-6

8-10

12-14

16-18

20-22

24-26

Alpha Size

XS

SM

MED

LG

XL

XXL

XXXL

Numeric Size

32-34

34-36

38-40

42-44

46-48

50-52

54-56

I like the bright yellow
color on this jacket, and I ordered it specifically because
I'm hoping that it will provide more visibility. FirstGear's website doesn't seem to have been updated
(as of this writing) to include any specifications on
the Hypertex Meshtex II clothing, and they still list
only a Red/Black and Black/Black combination for women.
It would be nice if they offered the jacket in some cool
colors, such as shades of purple or blue, but I guess we
can't have everything!

The
quality of the fabric and the sewing is very good, and
double stitches are used on all the seams. There
are no loose threads or anything and my feeling is that
this is a high-quality article of
clothing.

FirstGear claims to have over 40
motorcycles owned by their design and product
development staff, and it's always nice to know that
riders are behind the designs, because they know what
works and what doesn't.

I suggest considering the
colored jackets rather than the black-on-black, because
the colored jackets have the contrasting black accent strips up the
sides and down the arms, which trick the eye into thinking
that the owner is thinner than otherwise might be the
case.

Let's face it, when wearing motorcycle
clothing, unless you're a paper-thin model, most of us can use all the help we can
get! Also, black isn't a very noticeable color,
and safety should always be a concern.

The jacket has two hand
pockets that each have a 15cm (about 6", all inch sizes
approximate) opening. I noted that last year's
review of the men's jacket mentioned that the pockets
didn't have zipper pull extensions. Well, the
pockets still don't have
the extensions, so they're just about impossible to open
when wearing gloves.

But the upside is that the
entire zipper is hidden under the black fabric, which
helps give the jacket a more finished look. Each pocket is about 15cm
deep and lined with mesh, which is just about big enough
for a hand to fit inside, if you care to. I keep my
earplugs in one pocket and my cell phone in the other.

There's also a single snap pocket on the
left hand side, just inside of the jacket. This
pocket has a 13cm opening and is about 20cm deep, which
is big enough for a small wallet. I usually carry
my license, a credit card, some cash and not much more
in a small leather wallet that I use when riding.

The one feature that is
new for this year, and that I suppose justifies the "II"
moniker, is the
standard windproof nylon zip-in lining. It
attaches to the jacket with lightweight zippers on
either side of the jacket's lapels and with a metal snap on the back of the
neck.

It also attaches inside the sleeves with two
metal snaps located at the end of the abbreviated
sleeves and which are a bit hard to reach.
It's nice to have a windproof liner, because depending upon the
temperature, the jacket sometimes almost flows too much
air! It's so cool and allows so much air to flow
through that if the temperature drops below about 75-80
degrees I can get a chill.

The
liner is very thin and light, and it can easily be rolled
up into a tight little package and stowed under the
motorcycle's seat if there's no other room. But
when the liner is inserted, it effectively blocks a lot of the
wind and adds to the versatility of the jacket.

The liner doesn't have any insulation, so a lightweight vest
may be necessary if you're going to be riding
after dark or when you need some insulation in addition
to the wind-breaking qualities of the liner. By the way,
the liner also has an opening that allows access to
the inside breast pocket.

The jacket collar is
lined with a
comfortable fabric that feels like a cross between suede
and polar fleece. The collar doesn't have a button
closure in the front and doesn't really need one -- everything about this
jacket is simple and streamlined, which is what makes it
comfortable to wear and easy to live with in hot weather.

The sleeve cuffs close with a
"hook and loop" tab that also allows some
adjustability, and there are no zippers on the sleeves, so
that's one less thing to go wrong.

The main jacket zipper is
nice and big, and it has a "TTL" brand logo on
it. The zipper is made from nylon, and this one
does have a pull tab extension, making it easy to grab.
There's a short 25mm-wide flap that acts as a backing
for the zipper and helps prevent the nylon liner or
whatever you're wearing underneath from
getting caught in the big zipper teeth.

We nicked last
years' Hypertex Meshtex jacket because the "armor", or
padding, is very thin. Well, it seems
that FirstGear unfortunately hasn't improved either the
padding style and quantity.
The EVA (Ethylene
Vinyl Acetate) material that's used for the padding still isn't
CE-approved, and it's rather thin, but still probably many
times better than the alternative of a T-shirt and
jeans.

The elbow area has a large piece of
internal padding that measures about 28cm (11") long and
about 19cm (7-1/2") wide. The outer portion of the
sleeve has three separate little pieces of padding that
act more as a decoration than as protection. The
back padding is 36cm long (14") and about 16cm wide at
its widest point. All the padding is vented,
and the back padding is removable, so it might be
possible to fit a piece of CE-approved hard-backed armor
in place of the original padding, although I haven't
tried to do this. There's also some internal padding in
the shoulder and upper arm area.

The
jacket also uses some 3M Scotchlite material used in a
strip of piping across the back and in the "FirstGear"
logo on the front for visibility at night. The
combination of the Scotchlite piping and the bright
yellow color will hopefully do its job in letting know
that I'm on the road!

Conclusion
I really like this jacket and also the jacket/pants
combination. It's more comfortable than any other
riding outfit I've tried, and it does
what it's designed to: provide a
reasonably protective outfit for use in the hottest weather.
It just has
to be better than the T-shirt and jeans alternative.

I haven't tested its ability to protect in a fall, and I
still feel more confident wearing a full set of
leathers, but if the alternative is not to ride because
it's too hot, then this outfit is well worth it.
We see lots of motorcyclists riding in the summertime
with virtually no protective riding gear, and there's
really no excuse for that, especially when you can buy
this set for about $250.00. Isn't your body worth
at least that much?

A word about New
Enough: Paul and
Holly Thompson are among the most honest vendors you're going to find
on the Internet. You may be able to cut a slightly better deal
somewhere, but you won't get the personalized service that
you'll need if have a problem or want an exchange.

This is
especially important when you're purchasing products through a
website, sight unseen. New Enough carries FirstGear, Vanson, Joe
Rocket and other brands of apparel, both new and used.
webBikeWorld has no affiliation with New Enough other than as a
satisfied customer. New Enough provided the products reviewed in
this article.

Product
Comments: It doesn't get much cooler than
this. Excellent air flow in jacket, pants aren't quite
as cool if riding behind a fairing. Both the jacket
and pants are very comfortable. Jacket runs true to
size; pants seem a touch short. Jacket zips to pants.
Pants have
zippers on rear of leg for more comfort when tucked into
boots. Armor
is thin and is not CE-approved. No zipper pulls on
pockets. FirstGear has added a windproof liner that
adds to versatility.

Comments are ordered from most recent to oldest.
Not all comments will be published (details). Comments may be edited for
clarity prior to publication.

From "L.S.":
"I wanted to let you know that I really respect your
website and the reviews and information that you provide.
I regularly check for updates on products, especially women's
clothing. We all know that women have had to convert men's
sizing to fit us for years so thank you for providing extensive
information and resources around women's clothing.

I recently purchased the
Firstgear Mesh Jacket & Cortech GX air pant based on your
review. I researched recommended online resources and went
with New Enough and Kneedraggers and had exceptional service
with both companies. I love both products and enjoy a very
comfortable fit thanks to the reviews.

Thanks again and keep up the good
work."
Thanks for sending your comments and for your kind
compliments, L.S!